Apparatus for making and inserting bottle-caps.



0. F. JENKINS.

APPARATUS FOR, MAKING AND INSERTING BOTTLE cAPs.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1908.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Svwemtov UNITED STATES PATENT orrica.

CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS, OF' WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE' ASSIGNMENTS, TO' SINGLE SERVICE PACKAGE CORPORATION OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF' NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application filed June 19, 1908. Serial No. 439,431.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F RANCIS JENKINS, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in A paratus for Making and Inserting Bottle- 'IPS, of which the following is a specification, reference being had *therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to forming from sheet stock and instantly inserting in bottles a closure of suitable-form. Both the stock and the bottle to be closed are usually of paper, but other material may be used.

The principal object of the invention is to provide automatic means for rapidly providing receptacles which are capable of being readily crushed longitudinally, with closely fitting closures, and Without danger of crushing such receptacles during the operation.

In the particular art for which this apparatus was especially devised, the closures are not of felt, or the like, but are. ofmore nearly rigid or unyielding material, hereinafter designated as non-cushioning. Practically, unlike closures of felt or the like,

' closures of such material are at the instant of insertion radially non-yieldable, and are given such size and contour that they accurately fit the receptacles when properly inset-ted therein. In order that such a closure may be instantly inserted, as it is by high speed machines, without danger of crushing the receptacle, the mouth of the receptacle must be in'perfect general registry with the closure, and its mouth must, in advance, assume accurately the contour of the closure lest the closure meet the end face of the receptacle wall. and the receptacle be crushed. If the closure be circular and the receptacle wall be thin paper, for example, it is obvious that even relativelyslight deviation of the receptacle mouth from circular form will cause crushing, and that a mere general alinement of receptacle and closure will not, therefore, suflice.

The apparatus involves a cutting die and a co-acting plunger, a forming die adapted to descend slightly and force the bottle mouth into exact form and position for receiving llZSEClOSllI'G, an automatically expanding and contracting. forming plunger. to coactwith the forming die, an a stripping dea plan v1ew of the lower portionsof the novel part of the machine; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a-bottom plan view of the forming plunger,

In these figures, A represents a suitable base or frame resting on a support B and provided with diametrically opposite in which slides an annular forming die C provided with a central cylindrical opening in which slides an annular forming die C provided with depending guide rods C sliding in ways in the lugs A, respectively. Upon the top of the frame is fixed a cutting die D having a central opening concentric with the forming die opening but of materially greater diameter. With this cutting die co.- acts a tubular reciprocating plunger E' actuated at proper times by devices not shown. Over the die D isfed a stock strip F from which the die in descending cuts a disk, and as the die is retracted the stock is prevented from rising with it by a stripper plate G fixed just above the path of the strip and provided with an opening concentric with and slightly larger than the disk itself.

The forming die is normally held above the lugs A and in contact with the die D by springs H, supported by the lugs, but under the strain of formingthe disks the die descends and rests temporarily upon these lugs. The central opening in this die has the upper portion C of its walls rounded outward, as usual, so that the marginal portion of the diskvmay' be radually forced inward, and in the lower. si e of the die is a conical recess C the inclined walls of which as the die des ends center and force into exact form the upper end or mouth of bottles I, of paper or other flexible material, which rest upon the support B or other support which brings the mouth to the proper horizontal plane. The disks when'cut to form are at once forced down by a reciprocating plunger J which co-acts with the die C to form the I disks into cup-like closures K, each of which ther descent of the plun er J after the closure is formed, the. bott es being presented in succession at proper times-by any suitable means. Asshown, the die. G'overhangsand protects the upper margin of the bottle wall and the lugs or stops A arrest the descent of the die before this overhanglng portion presses materially upon that margin, and 1 thus no matter how suddenly the plunger sure with its internalsurface; and hence bottles are never crushed. The overhanging portion is not concerned in pressing the bottle mouth accurately into the exact form of the closure, this portion together with the lugs A constitute devices for effectually preventing the crushing of the bottle.

Although the parts are so proportioned that the closure fits closely in the bottle, it also fits the plunger very closely, and to avoid the possibility of its being withdrawn from the bottle with the plunger, thelatter is caused to contract slightly as soon as it begins its ascent, To this end the plunger is formed with a cylindrical body J provided with a circumferential recess J 2 and divided radially into segments which are yieldingly pressed together by an elastic band J of coiled wire or the like. This body is pro- Vided with an axial downwardly converging recess inwhieh fits a. conical projection J from the upper portion J of the plunger. The two parts of the plunger are prevented from separating by a nut J or the like, and the possible descent of the part J 4 in its recess is no greater than the slight space J normally separating the parts J and J The plunger is normally in the condition shown in Fig. 2, the diameter of the part J being slightly less than it should be while forming the disk. When in the descent of the plunger this part J meets the'die it isarrested, and its segments are instantly forced apart by the cone J and the next instant the whole plunger moves on together,

made in the devices described without passing beyond the roper limits of the invention, I desire and intend to cover the invention without limitations other than such as appear in the claims as they may be allowed.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described the combinatlon of a support for a receptacle capable of being readily crushed longitudinally; of means for lnserting in the mouth of said rece tacle a closure of noncushioning materla said inserting means and closure being of substantially the same' size as said rece tacle mouth and substantially non-yielda le radially during the insertion of the closure; and means for causwith said inserting means; and means ofsubstantially the same, size as the receptacle mouth overlying and protecting the end edge of the receptacle wall from the thrust of said inserting means during the closure ifnserting operation, substantially as set orth.

3. The combination with a support for a paper receptacle capable of being readily crushed longitudinally, of closure cutting devices, a reciprocating closure forming and inserting plunger associated operatively therewith. in position to move toward and from the open en'd of a receptacle resting on said support and adapted to form with the closure which it carries a radially nonvieldable body of substantially the diameter of the receptacle mouth, and a movable tormingand holding device co-acting with the plunger and provided with means for engaging every part of the external periphery of the receptacles mouth and forcing the latter accurately to the path of a closure carried by the advancing plunger.

4. The combination with a support for. a paper receptacle capable of being readily crushed longitudinally, of a reciprocating closure forming and inserting plunger in position to move directly toward and from the open end of a receptacle carried by said support. and adapted. to form with the ,closure a radially unyielding body of substantially the diameter of the receptacles month, an independently movable device co-acting with and actuated by the plunger in the advance of the latter, and adapted to engage the exterior only of said end and press it on all sides accurately to the path of a closure carried by the advancing plunger, and springs yieldingly resisting the movement of said device by the plunger and restoring it to initial position when released.-

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a reciprocating forming plunger, of an annular forming die, in line with the plunger, mounted to move with the plunger. and adapted to'engage and shape a flexible bottle end as it descends, means yieldingly resisting such movement, means for limiting the extent of such movement and means for placing a paper closuredisk between said plunger and die.

6. The combination with a support for a paper receptacle capable of being readily crushed longitudinally, of a closure forming die mounted above the place of a receptacle resting .upon said support to move toward and from the latter and provided with an upwardly converging recess in its lower face to press against the entire outer periphery of the mouth of the receptacle and force it into circular form, and a co-acting forming and inserting plunger arranged to engage a closure disk and carry it through the die into such receptacle, and adapted to form with the closure, after passing the die, a radially non-yieldable body of'substantially the diameter of the receptacles mouth.

7. The combination with a rigid frame, of an annular cutting die fixed to the frame, a smaller forming die mounted in the frame, in registry with the cutting die, to move to and from the latter, springs resisting the movement from the cutting die, lugs limiting the movement allowed by the springs, and cutting and forming plungersco-acting with the cutting and forming dies, respectively.

8. The combination with a support for a receptacle, of a re'ciprocatingforming and inserting plunger in position to insert a closure in a receptacle resting against said support, a co-acting annular forming die encircling the path of the plunger normally at some distance from the place of such receptacle and arranged to 'be'carried to the receptacle by an intervening closure ad-- vanccd by the plunger, and means for restoring the die to initial position when released.

9. The combination with a support for a aper receptacle, of an adjusting and formmg device arranged for externally engaging the open end portion of said receptacle, means for lessening the distance between said support and forming device, to cause the latter to engage and shape the mouth of a flexible receptacle, a spring opposing such lessening, positive means for limiting such lessening to the height of the receptacle, and a reciprocating plunger arranged to move to some distance outside said receptacle and device, leaving a clear intermediate space for the lateral insertion of a closure, and to engage and force into the receptacle, on its return, an intervening closure.

10. The combination with a reciprocating closure inserting plunger, of an alining receptacle support, a receptacle adjusting device arranged for movement in the same direction as the plunger and provided-with means for engaging externally as it advances, all parts of the mouth of afiexible receptacle resting against said support and pressing them "into circular form, and positive means for arresting said device at the completion of such forming action.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS.

Witnesses:

WALLACE GREENE, S. M. BRosIUs. 

